Skateboarding and in-line skating are activities in which it is common to attempt to " push the envelope" by doing ever more elegant and risky acrobatic-type stunts. One such stunt commonly done by both skateboarders and in-line skaters involves jumping onto and sliding along the edge of a structure, such as a low retaining wall, a large planter, or stairs. Usually, the skateboarder or in-line skater picks up speed, approaches one end of the structure, jumps up onto the structure with either the end of the skateboard or the wheels of the in-line skates, slides along the edge, and finally drops off the other end of the structure and continues along the way.
Although probably great fun for the skateboarder or in-line skater, these stunts are disliked by property owners because they inflict damage on the structures. Large pieces of the edge can be chipped off by the initial impact of the skateboard or skates, and over time abrasion caused by the sliding motion along the edge will wear down the edge. The result in either case is a disfigured edge, which is aesthetically unappealing and which must be repaired, potentially at great cost.
Aside from the damage these stunts do to the structure, they also may create unwanted legal liability for the property owner in the event one of the budding stunt persons is injured while performing a stunt or injures an innocent third party. Thus, it is in the property owner's interest to prevent sliding along the edges of structures.
There is thus a need for a device that restricts, and therefore discourages, sliding along the edge of a structure while preserving the aesthetic qualities of the structure and allowing legitimate uses of the structure. Several devices have been used, each having its shortcomings.
The first device that could be used is a hand railing installed along the edge of the structure. Although this could prevent damage to the structure, it would not discourage the stunts because it is still possible to carry out the stunt, only now the skater would slide along the rail instead of along the edge of the structure. Furthermore, railings are inappropriate in some situations, such as when the structure is a stair or set of stairs or a large planter.
Another way of discouraging these stunts is by placing large objects, for example flower pots, loosely along the top of the structure. Flower pots, however, could be easily removed by simply picking them up and moving them. Moreover, the flower pots may be aesthetically unpleasant or inappropriate for the setting, and may require maintenance. The flower pots could also interfere with desired uses of the structure, as in the case of stairs where the objects could get in the way of persons trying to walk up or down the stairs.
There is no convenient, easy-to-use and aesthetically pleasing device or method to prevent damage and degradation of structural comers due to objects sliding along their edges. There is thus a need for such a device and method.